


That Which We Call a Rose

by r3dmi1es



Category: Fruits Basket
Genre: Canon Compliant, Gen, Missing Scenes, Not yuchi focused, Some inappropriate humor, machi with FRIENDS, required suspension of disbelief for the language jokes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:13:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26795668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/r3dmi1es/pseuds/r3dmi1es
Summary: Mother calls him the Manabe boy, when she's feeling charitable, or among decent company. Otherwise he's "brat" or "devil's spawn," or whatever insults she can come up with in the moment. "The other child," if she's feeling cryptic.Machi doesn't call him anything at all. Why would she?
Relationships: Kuragi Machi & Manabe Kakeru, Kuragi Machi/Sohma Yuki
Comments: 7
Kudos: 41





	That Which We Call a Rose

It's loud, and dim, and rigid. Women are chatting, men are smoking, drinks are passed around by servers with big plates. If Machi were looking straight ahead, she might have something to say about the ladies' knees: this one has a tear in her pantyhose, that one's hemline is far too high, this one cut herself shaving last week. But it's rude to stare, so, if asked, the only thing Machi could say about the party is a comment on her own shoes. They're black, with silver buckles. They're pinching her toes, and her left heel is going to have a blister in the morning.

Another pair of shoes steps close enough that Machi can't ignore them; she recognizes that bright red polish, the straps of silver around toes that curl slightly sideways, which their owner has always complained about being unsightly.  _ "That woman _ is here," Mother hisses to Machi, her hand resting on top of Machi's head, tense. "She's brought her spawn as well, how  _ dare _ she--do make sure you stay away from them, dearest."

"Kuragi-san," someone calls, and Mother immediately straightens.

"Oh, goodness, Ibe-san, can that possibly be you?" she titters back, and Machi knows she's lost Mother's attention before the shoes move back and out of sight again.

There's a rip in the carpet, just in front of the toe of her (too tight) right shoe. If anyone notices, they'll have it covered up or fixed, she's sure. Some shoes bustle past her, too close for comfort, and her foot moves on its own to cover the tear, her heart pounding.  _ Why? _ She doesn't know.

"What are you doing?" These shoes are small, like hers. A boy's, though; there are long slacks draped over the top. She freezes, caught. "Why are you just  _ standing _ there?" the boy demands, stepping closer. "What did you do with your foot? Let me see," he orders, his voice harsh, already kneeling to grab her foot by the ankle and push it off the tear. He has black hair. He's young, but older than her.

"It's just a tear in the carpet," he groans, annoyed. "Nothing  _ interesting. _ Shame. I'll tell Father about it later, though, he'll have it fixed," he says, straightening, and his words strike some fear in Machi's heart, a certain, strange terror, and her eyes follow his face up as he stands. He frowns at her. "What? Why are you looking at me like that? It's rude to stare, you know."

Flushing, she drops her gaze down to her toes again.  _ Stupid, _ she berates herself. She does know. She's been told time and time again.

"Why are you so  _ quiet?" _ he complains next, but Machi won't let him trick her again. This one she knows: children should only speak when spoken to, and even then perhaps not. It crosses her mind that he's a child himself, but, well, it's not her fault if he refuses to follow the rules. She refuses to speak.

He waits, for nearly a minute, before his patience seems to snap.  _ "Look at me!" _ he screams, fisting both hands in her hair to yank her head up.  _ "Say something!" _

_ "KAKERU!" _ a woman yells, and within seconds she's at their side, pulling Kakeru's hands out of Machi's hair, tugging him away from her. "What the hell are you  _ thinking," _ she hisses, smacking his wrist. It's his turn to refuse to speak, to glare sullenly at the floor. The woman turns to Machi, sighing. "Dear, are you alright? I'm so terribly sorry for my son's poor behavior--"

"Get the hell away from my daughter, Manabe," Mother says icily, suddenly at Machi's side.  _ Manabe. _ The name echoes in Machi's skull. The other woman, and her son.  _ Brother, _ something suggests, unbidden, to Machi; she shoves it down.

The woman glares at Mother, seething. "...Fine. There's no reason for us to associate with the likes of you and your daughter anyway, Kuragi." With a vice grip on Kakeru's--Manabe's--wrist, she stalks away.

Mother reaches down to grab Machi's wrist with a vice grip of her own, hissing, "Come along. We mustn't make more of a scene than we already have. What were you  _ thinking, _ though, I have to wonder; I  _ told _ you to stay away from them..."

(Machi hadn't moved. But that doesn't matter.)

  
  
  


Mother is practically vibrating with excitement in the driver's seat next to Machi. She has one hand on the steering wheel, the other resting protectively, possessively over her stomach; Machi wonders if she had been held the same way, when she was in Mother's womb herself.  _ Maybe. _ (It doesn't occur to her to care one way or another.)

"Finally," Mother mutters under her breath,  _ "Finally _ I have something over that woman! Something she can't dispute... Oh, Machi, what if it's a boy? The inheritance issue will be finally all finished as well, we won't have to worry any more!"

"Mm," Machi hums in agreement, moving her head to stare out the window instead. She counts fence posts:  _ one, two, three, four... _

Mother shoots her a sharp glance. "Speak up, Machi, you're not a child anymore. You can't get away with mumbling as you do."

"Yes, Mother."

Mother sighs. "Honestly. Do you have any thoughts at all in that head of yours?" Machi glances at her, but doesn't reply, and soon they're pulling up to the Kuragi family house, just behind another, cheaper car. The Manabe family: mother and son.

"Kuragi-san!" the mother waves, with a smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes. "Important day today, don't you think? Let's finally get this awful inheritance business finished. I  _ do _ hope we can manage to be friends again soon, don't you? I've missed you all these years, you know."

Mother smiles her own cold, cruel smile. "Quite. Shall we?" The four enter the house together, the mothers practically racing to be first inside, with the children remaining respectfully behind.  _ Or disrespectfully, _ Machi considers, watching Kakeru walk with an arrogant slouch beside her.  _ He looks pissed. _

Father greets them inside. "How lovely to see you both," he says to the mothers. "Are we ready to talk business? The two sides of our family have been at war for far too long, don't you think?"

"Yes," the mothers say in tandem, and then flicker a matching glare at the other.

Kakeru groans loudly. "I'm  _ sick _ of this shit. Old man, can I go? You don't need me for all the legal talk, right? Or,  _ us, _ I guess," he tacks on with a sidelong glance at Machi, who startles.  _ Don't drag me into your poor behavior, _ she pleads silently, without so much as looking at him.

Mother laughs. "Are you going to let your son speak to him like that?" she asks Manabe-san, who smiles.

"I am, actually. He's right. The kids don't need to be here, let them relax."

Mother looks startled, like she's about to start yelling, but Father holds up a hand. "It's fine by me. Stay in the house, though, Kakeru. I'd like to speak to you both after we talk business."

Kakeru tips his head back with a sigh, long and suffering, but lets out a "Fiiiiiine," before stalking deeper into the house. Away from their parents. Machi looks between him and her parents, startled, unsure what to do. Has she been given permission to wait out the meeting as well? Should she follow Kakeru? Or is Mother expecting her to stay, to prove a point, to stay obedient?  _ What do I-- _

"Machi," Father interrupts her panicked thought process, and her eyes snap to him. (She can count on one hand the number of times Father has addressed her directly.) He smiles, almost gently. "Spend some time with your brother, won't you? I'd like it if you two could get along better. You're both so important to me, and I'd like to keep the family together."

Machi glances at Mother, who rolls her eyes and turns towards the meeting room. The message is clear:  _ Do what he wants. Father's word is law, obviously. Hurry up with it, too. _ Machi swallows, takes a deep breath, hoping she can speak clearly without any trouble. "Yes, Fa-ther," she says, her voice slipping a bit on his name, but no one seems to notice, somehow. All three adults disappear into the meeting room, and Machi turns and half-walks, half-jogs to catch up with Kakeru.

She finds him sprawled on the couch in the music room, already half asleep when she lets the door fall shut with a dull  _ thud _ behind her. His eye snaps open at the noise, focusing on her.

"Ah," he says, grinning at some joke she doesn't get. "Finally got out of the circus?"

Machi frowns. "What do you mean?" She hasn't moved since his eyes met hers, which means she's standing frozen next to the door, stuck like a deer in headlights.

He studies her for a moment longer, before rolling over on the couch, turning his back to her. "Nevermind. Should've known. At least you can  _ talk _ now."

Machi waits a moment longer, watching him like he's a wild animal (or maybe  _ she's _ the wild animal; there's something buried deep inside her that wants to scream, to run from him, to tear apart the room they're in, to run over to him and rip out his hair like he tried to do to her all those years ago), before judging it safe enough to softly walk fully into the room and sit in a lounge chair across from him. She smooths her skirt habitually over her knees, then rumples the edge of it when she realizes there's no reason not to.  _ It's not like  _ he'll _ yell at me if my skirt is wrinkled, _ she knows, somehow, without quite knowing why. She sits still in her chair, and he lies still on the couch, and the clock ticks, evenly and rhythmically.

_ Tick. _

_ Tick. _

_ Tick. _

_ Tick. _

_ Tick. _

"Father wants us to get along better," Machi finally says, because talking to Kakeru is a marginally better idea than getting up, grabbing that grandfather clock by the sides, and wobbling it until it topples over and breaks.

Kakeru flops on his back instantly. So he  _ had _ been awake, still. "Honestly, Ku-- _ Machi, _ I don't really give a shit what our parents want anymore."

Machi blinks. "I see," she says, expecting the conversation to be over.  _ Machi? Why would he call me that? _

Kakeru's staring at her again, though. Things are never simple with him. "Maaaachi," he says, drawing her name out obnoxiously. "Would  _ you _ like to get along better?"

_ Would  _ I _ like to? Why is he asking that? What does that even-- _ "What do you mean?" she asks, flinching as he sits up suddenly, his feet flat on the floor, elbows on his knees.

"Don't think about  _ them," _ he says, jerking his head towards the door meaningfully. "What do  _ you _ want from our relationship? I'm open to anything, as long as it's you asking, not your mom or the old man."

She stares at him. She doesn't understand.  _ What I want? I don't know. It's never mattered. Why should it matter now? _ The clock goes  _ tick tick tick _ through the thrumming of her head and Machi whips her head to glare at it, her whole body moving violently as if to launch her at it; Kakeru says something she can't hear and suddenly he's in front of her, holding his hands up to stop her, but she pushes past him and charges at the clock, ripping the door at the front open and tearing out the pendulum, throwing it to the ground, grabbing the body and  _ heaving, _ until it falls to the ground with a resounding  _ crash. _

She stands there, panting, as the blood rushing in her ears slowly recedes, and it suddenly dawns on her that  _ that was real. _ She just destroyed Father's clock, he's going to be angry, Mother is going to  _ kill _ her, what has she  _ done-- _

Kakeru's looking up at her, wide-eyed, from the floor (and that's right, she shoved him, when she could barely look at him before); he looks scared, confused, uneasy. "Machi," he says, and she flinches, prepared for him to yell at her, and he pauses at that. "Are you okay?"

_ What? Why is that the first thing out of his mouth? He should be angry with me. _ "What?" she manages, before the clack of heels rushes up to the door and Manabe-san throws it open, closely followed by Mother and Father.

"Kids, are you alright--oh my  _ God! _ What happened here?" she says, rushing to crouch at Kakeru's side. "Are you hurt? Oh, dears, watch for the glass--"

"What happened to the clock?" Father asks, his tone icy in its calmness, and Machi feels herself go white. (Her hands are shaking, her heart is pounding, she feels as if she might collapse--)

"It fell," Kakeru lies smoothly, brushing his mother off. "On its own. I was shocked, really, I fell to the floor--Machi was much more sensible, she went over to check what was damaged."

Manabe-san frowns at Machi. "Oh, darling, there's no need to do that--come over, but watch your step, there's glass, come on, it might be dangerous over there."

Machi moves closer, as if in a dream.

"It fell?" Mother scoffs. "Surely not, that old thing was as stable as a house. Clearly the boy is lying."

Kakeru glares at her, but then rolls his eyes to the ceiling instead, irritated. "Fine, then, You got me. I pushed it. I was sick of the thing. Sick of  _ everything _ in this house, actually. And all of you!"

_ "Kakeru!" _ Manabe-san hisses, but he brushes her off.

"Oh, shut up. You don't get to dictate my life anymore, none of you, you got it? Old man," he says, taking a few quick steps forward to jam his finger under Father's chin (when did they start to look so alike?), "I'm done. No more inheritance _bullshit._ No more competition, no more comparisons, no more fighting! Fuck your stupid house, you ruined my childhood with your games, and _you--"_ he turns to point to his own mother, and then seems to consider something before turning to point at Mother as well-- "you _both_ just played along with it! Fighting for his attention for ages, I'm sick of it! And I don't know if Machi is sick of it, but I've been part of this family for damn well long enough to know you all aren't treating her any better. _Fuck_ _you!"_

He stands in the middle of the room, panting a little, as everyone else stares at him. Father raises an eyebrow. "Are you quite done?" Kakeru seems to deflate, and Father takes that as a cue to continue. "It's a moot point, I'm afraid. Your mother has asked that you be taken out of consideration for becoming the heir, which," he glances at Manabe-san, "I'm beginning to suspect was your idea in the first place. Regardless, we've come to the conclusion that if my wife's second child is a girl, Machi will become heir, and if he is a boy, he will be the heir. The inheritance issue is over. However, you are still my son, and I expect you to still visit regularly, because I care about you. And, I suppose given the circumstances, the situation with the clock shall be forgiven." And with that, he exits the room, leaving the remaining four to their own devices.

Kakeru drops to the floor again, sighing loudly, and his mother rushes to his side, fussing over him. Machi tries to make eye contact, hoping to convey her gratitude, but Mother grabs her arm to tug her out of the room before she can be sure. (Still, she thinks she might've seen him smile back at her.)

  
  
  


The baby is a boy. A brother, though Kakeru's face is still the first to flash in her mind when she thinks that word. Mother and Father are excited about him. Father finally has an heir, and Mother finally solidified her place at his side.

Machi, watching over him as their parents celebrate in another room, feels warm when she looks at him.  _ He's rather cute, isn't he? _ she thinks unexpectedly. His eyes lazily focus on her, and he coos, his outstretched hand making grabbing motions. Hesitantly, carefully, Machi offers him a finger, as she's seen several adults do before, and he quickly wraps his entire fist around it, squeezing tighter than she expected.

Machi doesn't have words for the feeling she gets when she looks at him, and he looks back up at her, and his fist holds tightly to her finger. A glint of recognition sparks in his (big, round) eyes, and he smiles at her, a big, gummy grin, and Machi feels faint. He releases her finger, babbling at her, and she feels her lips tug up into a smile as she moves her hand to gently stroke his arm, and--

Oh. Should he be this cold?

Panic clenches in her chest as she looks frantically around for something to rectify the situation. Mother said to let her know if there was a problem, but surely a little chill is something Machi can handle on her own?  _ Surely. _ She spots the blanket draped over a chair, and relief washes over her as she jumps up to grab it. Hovering over the baby again, she hesitates, unsure, before stretching the whole thing over him. That would be warmest, after all, and it's what she would want if she were cold and unable to move on her own. It is a shame she can't see his face anymore, though.

There's a gentle knock on the door, and it opens carefully to allow Mother to slip inside. "Machi? I just wanted to check up on you two, make sure everything's okay-- _ Machi!" _ she screams suddenly, rushing forward to pull the blanket off the baby, who has started crying. She lifts him up and curls him protectively to her chest as he wails. "Machi, what were you doing!? Are you trying to  _ kill _ him?"

Machi can't breathe, and it occurs to her belatedly that her baby brother might have felt the same way just moments before. She can feel herself freezing into place, unable to speak, to move, to react at all as Mother continues to yell, demanding to know what she was thinking.  _ Was I thinking? _ Clearly not. She'd put the baby in danger. She's a killer, an attempted murderer.

"...I can't get her to  _ say _ anything!" Mother is complaining to Father. When did he arrive? "Machi, what in the world were you  _ thinking?" _

"He's the heir," Father says slowly. "If it weren't for him, she'd be heir. I hate to think it, but..."

Mother glares at Machi. "Was this on  _ purpose!? _ Were you so jealous that you tried to  _ kill your own brother!?" _

Kakeru's face flashes in Machi's head, along with a pang of guilt that even now, "brother" means him first.

"She feels guilty," Mother breathes, sounding startled. "Look at her face, she looks guilty-- _ dear!" _ she wails, clutching the baby still as she collapses against Father's chest.

Father fixes Machi with the harshest glare she's ever seen (as if she's not already rooted to the spot). "Go upstairs and pack up your things," he says quietly. "You are no longer welcome in this house. I will find and pay for an apartment, but--" he sighs, looking distressed, and Machi takes the opportunity to run to her room and do as she says.

"...Shit," she swears, standing in the dark of her room and leaning against the closed door.

  
  
  


(Not even Father can find an apartment for lease immediately. It takes two weeks. Two weeks, wherein Machi is watched suspiciously every waking moment. The baby doesn't leave Mother's side, and she curls him to her chest protectively every time Machi passes by.)

  
  
  


The day of the move, Machi is woken by a loud knock on her door. Odd, since no one in the house dares approach her anymore.

"Hey!" Kakeru says when she opens the door, bleary-eyed. "You packed and ready?" Machi shuts the door.  _ I must still be dreaming, _ she thinks, flopping face-first back on her bed. Ignoring Kakeru's call of  _ "Maaaaachiiiiii" _ through the door.

He seems to realize the door is unlocked, since she hears it open a moment later with an exaggerated "You decent?" He shuts the door behind him, considerately, and sighs. "I guess Dad didn't tell you I was coming?"

Machi lifts her head to look at him sideways. "No." Father hasn't said much to her at all, the last couple of weeks. The last time they spoke, he told her the day she had to move out, and where she could go.

"Well, I'm here to help you move your stuff!" Kakeru announces, putting his hands on his hips like he's some sort of action hero. He looks around the room and whistles through his teeth. "Geez, it's kind of a mess in here, though. Um. You did know you were moving out today, right?" Machi rolls over to face the other direction instead of answering, and he falls silent.

In either a couple minutes or a couple hours, Kakeru seems to decide he's done. "I think I got everything from this room, and I ran in the nearest bathroom too... It didn't look like you'd done laundry recently, but if you have anything you need...? Or if there's anything you want from another part of the house, if you could let me know... Or if you want to double check everything, I guess, I mean if it were me, I'd want to--"

Machi sits up, and he seems to hold his breath. He's packed two bags of stuff. She didn't even think she had that many belongings. She grabs her pillow and, as an afterthought, one of the lighter blankets, and stands. "Do you know where we're going?" she asks, and he startles.

"Uh, yeah, I looked it up earlier. We might be able to grab a bus." He grabs one of the bags and Machi nods vaguely in his direction before opening the door, heading down the hall. She can hear him fumbling for the second bag behind her.

The new apartment is relatively far from Father's house, but Machi realizes with some surprise that it's closer to the school than she'd been before. Closer to Kaibara, too, where she's supposed to start up in April. Kakeru seems to notice too, from all that he's chattering about it on the bus.

"Just a couple months, right?" He says, grinning. "Hey, you'll be at the same school as me, for once! Maybe we can spend some time together, some brother-sister bonding, you know? Join a club together, or something."

Machi leans her head against the window. "Maybe."

The apartment is small. Kakeru has some trouble getting the bags through the door. It has a couch, though, so Machi lays down her pillow, wraps herself in her blanket, and lies on the couch. (She listens as Kakeru finally sets the bags down, sees where she is, and sighs. If she opens one eye a sliver, she can see him rub at his eyes in frustration.)

"O-kay!" he says with a cheer that even she can see is exaggerated. "Let's leave the unpacking for now, it's been a long day. You haven't eaten yet, have you? I'll order in, what do you want?"

"...Whatever," Machi mutters, and his eye twitches. But he pulls out his phone, scrolls through some sites, and makes a call. Pizza, apparently. With lots of meat.

"You see," Kakeru tells her, opening up one of the bags to unpack anyway, "When I don't know what to get someone, I just get them what I would like myself. And I like a meatzza!"

_ Meatzza. _ It's a ridiculous word. It honestly takes a moment for Machi to even understand what he means, but,  _ Oh, I get it: it's a meat pizza. A meatzza, _ and that's all it takes for her to snort. Chuckle, almost, but for the way Kakeru looks at her in delight, she may as well have screamed in laughter.  _ "Meatzza,"  _ she repeats incredulously, and Kakeru's grin turns impossibly wider.

"Nothing's better than a meatzza," he says sagely, and the word sends her into a fit of snickers again, forcing her to sit up so she can breathe a little better.

"Stop  _ saying _ that, it's so  _ stupid," _ she complains, still giggling, and Kakeru grins.

"What, meatzza?" Another laugh, forced out through her nose this time as she tries to keep a straight face. "Meatzza. Meatzza, meatzza, meatzza," he repeats, laughing along with her now. "Honestly, I think it's the pinnacle of the Japanese language."

"Isn't it an English word?"

Kakeru frowns, tilting his head in thought. "Honestly, I thought it was Italian."

"Then it wouldn't be the pinnacle of the  _ Japanese--" _

"Pinnacle of the Italian language, then," Kakeru pouts. "Although honestly, I can't think of any Japanese words that are better, so maybe it still counts."

Machi looks at him skeptically. "You can't think of a  _ single _ Japanese word that's better than--"  _ snort-- _ "meatzza."

"Nope," he says, popping the  _ p. _

"What about--oh, what's the word-- _ toragahitowokamoutosurutokinounarigoe,  _ isn't it?" The kids in elementary school had gone through about a month trying to memorize the whole thing, honestly Machi's not sure why she bothered to remember it.

Kakeru stares at her. "Oh my god, you're right. How could I  _ possibly _ forget about  _ toragahitowokamoutosurutokinounarigoe, _ you must think I'm some kind of fraud!" he yelps, flopping over backwards onto the floor. "How can I ever recover from this, honestly," he laughs.

The pizza  _ (meatzza, _ Machi can't help but think again) arrives eventually, and they eat, and somehow most of her things end up unpacked around the apartment. Most of it is even her things.

"That's Mother's," she points out eventually, gesturing to the mirror that had been on the wall of her room at the house.  _ How had he even packed it? _

"Ah, really?" Kakeru laments, groaning in disappointment. "Well. See if she notices if it's gone, and if she does I can take it back later. Otherwise, free mirror, right?"

Machi shrugs. "I suppose."

He takes a breath, hesitates. Then speaks: "Um. Did you um. Did you really try to kill the kid?"

Everything freezes.

After a while (maybe it's minutes, maybe it's hours), Machi realizes he's gone again.

  
  
  


The beginning of high school isn't much of an event, honestly. Machi finds it to be much the same as middle school, at least while in the school itself; really, the difference is only the place she calls home. It is a little odd seeing Kakeru in the halls at times, but he doesn't ever speak to her, and often doesn't even look at her. He seems to have decided to stay out of her life, so Machi extends the same courtesy. Things like breaks between classes and lunch, therefore, are spent sitting at her desk in the classroom alone.

"Kuragi." Machi starts, jerking her head up from her lunch to stare wide-eyed at the classmate sitting one row over and one seat behind her. His head and arms are flopped unceremoniously over the desk, one eye lazily peeking over his arm to look at her. When she makes eye contact, he jerks a thumb towards the door, which she follows to see a third year student poking his head in nervously, as if on a secret mission. "He called your name," Sohma Hatsuharu continues, and she turns back to him in confusion.

"Me?"

Haru snorts, his shoulders rolling with subtle laughter. "Maybe it's a confession," he says, then smirks at the horror that must cross over her face. "Kidding. He's the student council president, maybe you're being recruited."

"Ah." Machi looks at the boy at the door again (he gestures frantically when he sees that he has her attention again, mouthing "Come on!"); he  _ does  _ look vaguely familiar, from the entrance ceremony perhaps.

"His name is Takei Makoto," Haru supplies, full-on grinning when Machi glances at him again. "He's not that intimidating, you should be fine. Probably gay, too, he has a thing for Yuki and he freaked out when he saw my dick in the bathroom once."

Machi flushes bright red and snaps her head forward at that, because she absolutely cannot look at Sohma Hatsuharu when he's talking about his dick. (If the memory of seeing him standing in the middle of a completely wrecked classroom, breathless and panting, pops into her mind at that moment, well, that's for her to know and no one else.)

"I should probably," she says, vaguely gesturing at the door, before standing up to follow through on her half-formed intentions.

Haru waves as she leaves. "Have a nice time."

"Finally," Makoto hisses as she approaches. "Come on, come on, it'll look suspicious if we talk here. Keep an eye out for the Prince Yuki club, they've been hounding me all day for secret information." He half leads, half drags her to the second year wing, fussing with his glasses and looking around furtively as he does so. "Do you know Manabe Kakeru?"

Machi's eyes widen a bit. "Um," she says. Apparently it's not common knowledge that he's her brother. Probably for the best, although she wouldn't have expected him to keep it a secret. "I know who he is," she says, a little uncertain.

"Good!" Makoto peers around the corner, towards Kakeru's class. "Go grab him for me, will you? The girls like to hang out around here, since Yuki's a second year as well, I really can't let them see me. You'll be much less suspicious, go on." He pushes her forward, and Machi finds herself standing by the door of Kakeru's classroom, suddenly.

He's surrounded by friends, classmates, because of course he is. He's a much more interesting and charismatic person than she will ever be. Looking at him, forced to confront the reality that is him, in this school, makes her fingers itch to throw something. She hasn't had to think about him since she moved, so why now--

"Hmm? Machi? What are you doing here?" Kakeru says suddenly, staring at her curiously from across the room. "Ah! Do you want to hang out with us? We can eat lunch, come here, sit, say hi to everybody," he adds, gesturing to his friends, who are looking over just as curiously.

("Shou, who's that?" one of them whispers, and he waves them off with a laugh.)

Machi grits her teeth. "No, thank you. There's someone looking for you," she tells him, because that's what she was asked to do, and then she leaves, heading back in the direction from where she came.

"Kuragi-san!" Makoto calls, stopping her before she can go back to her own classroom. "This way, this way. Is Manabe coming? He was in the classroom, wasn't he--ah! There he is. Manabe-san, this way, hurry, shh!"

"What's up?" Kakeru says at a normal volume, approaching them. "Ah! You're the prez, right?"

Makoto glares up at him. "Too tall. Too  _ loud, _ too--come on, we can't talk here. Keep an eye out for the girls! Don't let them see us together!"

Kakeru blinks. "Girls?"

Machi rolls her eyes. "The Prince Yuki club," she explains.

Makoto manages to get them into an empty student council room, closing the door, hesitating, and then decidedly locking the door behind him. "Alright," he says, shuffling to sit at a desk with an exaggerated sigh. "We should be safe here. Probably. Don't stand close to the door, they might be listening in--here, just take a seat, take a seat."

Kakeru is still staring at the locked door. "Are you going to kill us, prez?" He doesn't sound too concerned by the idea.

"You two," Makoto announces, his chest puffing up with importance, "Are at the top of your respective classes! Well, Yuki is ahead of Kakeru, but that's a given--he's an outlier, and he's going to be president anyway."

Kakeru pouts. "Rub it in that I'm the number two, I see how it is."

"You both also have very good disciplinary records, despite some... eccentricities, but, well, everyone has their off days. Your teachers highly recommended you as well. And, best of all, neither of you have any connections to the Prince Yuki club! Which means you won't be influenced by their ridiculous agenda," Makoto continues, adjusting his glasses and shuffling papers on his desk. "I am offering both of you positions in the new student council, if you'll take them."

"Student council?" Kakeru echoes, seemingly taken aback. "With that prissy Sohma boy?"

"Yes, he'll be the president, he's already agreed to the position. You'll be the vice president, and Kuragi-san the treasurer. I'll still need to find a couple secretaries--a first year and a second year, if possible--but having the core group established would go a long way. Of course, if I could I'd stay back a year to help him out myself, I can't imagine what future struggles he'll have to endure without me, which I could easily help him avoid, but alas I was born a year too soon--!"

"Machi," Kakeru says, completely ignoring the president. "Are you going to do it?"

Machi's head involuntarily jerks to stare back at him. "What?"

"I'm asking if you want to join the student council."

Is she going to join? A few months ago, the answer would have been easy. Probably yes, because it was a position of prestige, power, and recognition in the school, unless it conflicted with another engagement. Mother would have been angry that Kakeru's position was higher than hers, but really it can't be helped; he is older, and that will forever be an advantage he has over her. That the Manabes have over Mother and Machi. But Mother isn't expecting anything from Machi anymore. She has a new child, and has decided Machi is boring, cruel, unsightly, unnecessary. So what is Machi supposed to do? Join the student council, in the hopes that her position will endear her to her parents again? Not join, because she'd just be a bore, unhelpful, a detriment to the school? And why is Kakeru asking what she  _ wants, _ why does that  _ matter, _ when has that  _ ever _ mattered?

"What do you care?" Machi barks (because there's no better word for it; her voice sounds harsh and aggressive even to herself, and she feels the urge to shrink back, hide, run at the sound of it).

Kakeru watches her, unreadable, for a long, quiet moment. "I don't mean to hurt you. I just want a chance to be someone you can rely on. Sorry."

_ Someone she can rely on? _

Kakeru turns to Makoto, who is still lost in a world in which he is the same age as Sohma Yuki. "Yo, prez! I'll join, so put that down on your list, 'kay? Student council... it's kinda like a school defense force, isn't it? Could be fun," he says, grinning. He leans back in his chair, kicking his feet up on Makoto's desk and throwing an arm over the back of Machi's chair.

Makoto flinches. "Manabe-san, watch the papers--ah. Well, they should be fine. Thank you very much for accepting the position!"

"Hey, no problem," Kakeru drawls with a half-hearted salute. "You're still looking for secretaries, you said? Check out Toudou Kimi--I have it on good authority she  _ hates _ the Prince Yuki club, and she's got good grades. Should be fun to have around, too."

"Toudou... Kimi... Got it. I appreciate the recommendation! It's so hard to look for members and still keep it secret--oh, don't tell anyone about your position, okay? Not until it's officially announced, it'd be disastrous if the girls found out!"

Kakeru snorts. "Disastrous, of course. Our first official mission as the school defense force! Keep it a secret from the school who we are, got it." He mimes zipping his lips shut, locking them with a key.

"Sure," Makoto agrees, distracted. "And, Kuragi-san? Your answer?"

She shouldn't consider Mother, Father, or the baby family anymore. They themselves made that very clear. Which means her closest family member, the one she should listen to, should she not know what to do...

"I accept the position as well."

...is Manabe Kakeru.

  
  
  


Sohma Yuki is so much more than Machi could ever have expected. He's foolish, yes, and nowhere near the prince-like character everyone else seems to think he is, but the things he says and does, the way he looks at her and  _ sees _ her, how he asks questions and remembers the answers and cares about them, too, sends Machi's heart racing. She learns a lot about him (he's bad at finding souvenirs, he has a profound sense of justice, he likes the chaotic duo of Kakeru and Kimi more than he lets on), and somewhere along the way, she learns a lot about herself, too.  _ I like red. I don't like neat things. I never meant to hurt my little brother. I'm not boring. I'm the type to blush and hit the boy I like when embarrassed.  _ Because she  _ does _ like him. He slipped past all her defenses and found the real Machi, and it looks like he's here to stay.

"If the snow piles up," he's saying now, kneeling across from her, his face inches from hers as the tears start to dry on her face, "Let's leave our footprints on it. I promise you..."

_ I want Sohma Yuki, _ is the new realization Machi finds about herself, tilting her head just so, right before her  _ idiot older brother's phone _ rings from around the corner.

"Oh, damn it! I got a message, sorry... You two were totally planning on kissing, right? God, that's my bad, I'm so sorry..."

_ "...Idiot!" _ Machi screams, jumping up to point at him angrily. What is he even still  _ doing _ here, she thought he was on the other end of the apartment!

"So you were still here," Yuki comments coolly, before smiling up at Machi. "Would it be insensitive to say I wouldn't blame you for fratricide if it was  _ this _ brother?"

Kakeru snorts. "Oh noooo, I ruined the moment, how will you guys ever forgive me?"

Yuki stands up as well, resting his hand on top of Machi's head in a gentle pat. "We'll have another moment, don't worry." When Machi spins to look up at him, he's already smirking back at her. "Right?"

Machi flushes. "You're  _ both _ idiots," she grumbles, because they  _ are! _ Why are they both laughing?!

"Here, I'll make it up to you guys," Kakeru insists, shoving his phone back in his pocket to throw an arm around Yuki's shoulders enthusiastically. "I'll buy us dinner, we can make a party out of it!" His eyes sparkle dangerously. "We can get a meatz--"

Machi sucker punches him.

He orders burgers instead, and soon the three of them are curled up on the couch together in front of a movie, Machi in the middle with her head casually rested on Kakeru's shoulder, definitely  _ not _ wishing Yuki hadn't pulled his feet up between them, his knees providing a barrier preventing her from leaning on him instead. He's always been one to shy away from close physical contact, she tells herself, refusing to remember seeing Kakeru's arm around his shoulders many times before.

"Ah," Yuki says suddenly, as the credits on the movie play; he's looking at his phone mournfully. "I might have forgotten to inform Honda-san of my whereabouts."

Machi tenses, and almost doesn't notice how Kakeru tenses just as much next to her. Almost. "Girlfriend wondering where you are?" he asks, with something angry in his tone... protective? Maybe?

Yuki only rolls his eyes, though. "Nothing of the sort. Due to certain... circumstances, she happens to live with my cousins and I, that's all. I notice neither of them had anything to say about myself being missing," he laughs dryly, tapping out a quick message on his phone. Presumably to Honda Tohru. He glances up and seems surprised by Kakeru's expression. "Oh, quit glaring at me like that. You know I have no interest in Honda-san, not like  _ that." _

Machi feels Kakeru laugh through his shoulders, and as he relaxes, she does too. "Oh  _ really, _ Yun. Anyone you are interested in, then?"

Yuki's eyes slide down from Kakeru's face to Machi's, and she barely catches his smirk before snapping her gaze back to the television. "...Maybe," Yuki says cryptically, before stretching his legs out over the floor and standing. "Sorry, though, I really should be going home. Thanks for letting me stay for so long, Machi."

"No thanks for buying him food, I see how it is," Kakeru grumbles as soon as he's gone. "Machi, you can do better than him, really."

"Quit teasing," Machi grumbles, but instead of hitting him like she normally would, she finds herself leaning more heavily on his side, her eyes starting to drift shut.

Kakeru sighs, runs a hand through his hair almost nervously, and asks, "Machi, do you... resent me, I guess? Dislike me?"

She hums. A few months ago, this question would have frozen her, and she wouldn't have had an answer at all. "No," she decides. It's even true.

"Shit, really? You're not just being nice, right? I know I can be a huge dick--"

"Yes, you can be," Machi cuts him off, not interested in him running his mouth. "I never thanked you for helping me move out."

"I mean, helping is kind of an understatement, I think I did a hundred percent of the heavy lifting."

"Don't fish for compliments."

"...Right, yeah, sorry. You know, you can count on me for stuff like that any time, okay? I'm trying to, I don't know, do right by you, I guess. Become an older brother you can rely on."

Machi hums again. "I know, dumbass. Keep at it."

Kakeru doesn't respond right away. Instead, he grabs a pillow, dropping it on his lap, and maneuvers Machi's head from his shoulder to the pillow. He pulls the throw blanket over her shoulders and brushes some hair gently away from her face, and Machi feels herself slowly drifting asleep.

"Okay," he whispers, just before she sinks into unconsciousness.

  
  
  


"...Then, if that's everything, meeting dismissed, I suppose?" There's a chorus of assent from the student council members, with varying levels of enthusiasm, and Yuki smiles at Machi as Kimi and Nao gather up their things to leave, pestering each other out the door. "Hey," he says quietly, smoothly pressing his lips to the corner of her mouth before she's noticed how close he is.

"H-hi," she stammers back, flushing.

_ "Hey," _ Kakeru says, much louder, swinging an arm over Machi's shoulders suddenly. Machi glances up at him and has to immediately look away to hide her laughter when she sees him glaring at Yuki. "You're corrupting my baby sister on the regular now, Yun?"

Yuki sighs and leans back against a desk, looking entirely put-upon. "It's not really any of your business," he pouts.

"Don't give him a hard time, Manabe," Machi mutters, rolling her eyes. "No one's corrupting anyone."

Kakeru yanks his arm into a loose chokehold, throwing Machi off-balance as he musses her hair. "Do you even know what I  _ mean _ by that? I can't imagine Kuragi-san was very thorough with sex education."

Machi goes  _ beet _ red at that. Sex? They've only just started dating! Surely it's too soon--and it's not like high schoolers do that sort of thing... do they? "Aren't we," Machi says tentatively, feeling her face burning, "A little young for that sort of thing?"

Kakeru stares at her for a long moment, then beams.  _ "Yes, _ absolutely. Waaaay too young, I don't want to be an uncle before I'm thirty. Yun, get that disappointed look off your face. Get outta here, go home, I gotta have a  _ talk _ with Machi here."

Yuki's face pales instantly and he spins around, grabbing his bag. "Good luck, Machi," he says fervently.

Kakeru snorts. "Coward. You really  _ can _ do better, you know."

"Isn't he your best friend?"

"So? That means  _ nothing _ when there are little sisters to be protected, you know!" Kakeru laughs, and Machi smiles along with him. "Now! First things first: everything I'm about to tell you is absolutely not allowed until you're... out of high school, at least. Thirty is preferable, but I can understand wanting to try some stuff a little earlier. Secondly, never ever ever tell me about it if and when it does happen, 'cause I'd probably die an early death."

Machi grimaces.  _ Is this conversation really happening in the student council room? Now? _ "Manabe, I really think I can figure this sort of thing out on my own--"

"Nope!" Kakeru interrupts, holding his forearms up in the shape of an  _ X. _ "Denied! This is stuff a family member should tell you about, and I'm the only one I trust to tell you. Unless you really expect me to believe Kuragi-san really  _ had _ an expert sex ed rundown for you?"

"..."

"Didn't think so. Now! Let's talk condoms."

"Oh my  _ God, _ Manabe!"

  
  
  


"I'm serious, you know," Yuki insists, his hand smoothly slipping into Machi's back pocket as they turn the corner towards Ayame's shop. "You really don't have to be here. Run. You shouldn't have to suffer with me."

Machi raises an eyebrow at his hand positioning, but ultimately just chuckles and wraps her arm around his waist. "I've dealt with annoying brothers before. This will be fine."

"Hmm. You're right, this is payback for all the times I had to put up with Kakeru."

"As if you don't enjoy hanging out with him. You like him more than I do, you can have him, if you want."

Yuki's eyes deaden, and Machi laughs.  _ "No thank you," _ he says, vehemently. "The most I'll agree to is sharing him with you, thanks."

Machi stops him short at the doorstop, grinning at him. "Oh,  _ really." _

Yuki hums, smiling at her before pressing a quick kiss to her lips. "Sure. Someday, probably."

"I'm sure. Maybe I'll say yes when you ask, then."

"Oh, I'm  _ definitely _ asking now?"

"Not  _ now. _ It's been years already, what's a couple more?"

"Fair. You'd definitely say yes, you said?"

"You'll just have to ask and find out."

Yuki laughs, kisses her again (longer, this time, and softer) before turning to look up at the door. She follows his eyes. "Last chance to run," he sighs.

"Oh, just go knock already."

Surprisingly, it's not Ayame who answers, but Mine, smiling brightly. "Come in, come in! It's so good to see you both--let me take your coats, it's warm enough in here," she says, ushering them inside. "Yuki and Machi-chan are here!" she calls down the hall.

Yuki grimaces. "What, is he too lazy to open the door now? Sorry about him, Mine-san."

Mine beams. "Ah, that's not it--!"

"Beloved little brother!" Ayame's voice drifts down the hall. "I'm so sorry that I couldn't be at the door to greet you both, I hope you can ever forgive me for the disappointment you must have felt at missing my delighted face greeting your arrival! Of course, Mine's face is surely far more delightful than my own, so I had hoped it was a fair replacement--ah, but nothing can replace our brotherly love! Now, I'm afraid I must ask you to join me in the lounge so that we can see each other face to face, making up for lost time that we so unfortunately missed at the doorway. You see, I'm rather indisposed at the moment, and  _ cannot _ join your little entrance hall gathering--rest assured, had I been physically capable, it would have been my first priority to join you all--but alas! Just a few hours ago, since the last time we texted, my foot got caught up in some fabric left on the floor in the shop, leading me to trip and fall--ah, but don't fret, dearest Yuki! The brotherly face you so longed to see as soon as possible was left unharmed! I had merely a minor twist of the ankle; this is the evil that has confined me to the sofa when you arrived, driving a wedge between us and our brotherly love by refusing us a chance to see one another first when you arrived!"

Machi hides a laugh behind her hand during this speech, watching as Yuki's eye twitches more and more throughout it. He storms down the hall, bursting into the lounge to yell, "Don't make a speech at us before we've entered the room!"

Ayame smiles brightly at Yuki, his foot bandaged with ice and a towel, propped up on several pillows on the sofa. "Yuki! So glad you could join us! Ah, and Machi-chan too, it's been far too long! Has my little brother gotten around to asking you to join him in eternal love and bliss yet? He's awfully shy, as I'm sure you know, but rest assured that nothing would make him happier. Please have patience with him!"

"Not  _ any _ of your business, nii-san," Yuki grumbles, although embarrassment seems to have overtaken his irritation.

A timer goes off somewhere in the kitchen, and Mine jolts. "Oh! I need to go check that."

Ayame's face falls. "Oh--dearest Yuki, I'm so terribly sorry to ask this of you when we've only just reunited, but I feel so  _ terribly _ guilty sitting here doing nothing while Mine works in the kitchen alone... I can't help her myself like I normally would, but--!"

"Yeah, I got it," Yuki waves him off. "I would've offered to help anyway, you know," he says, a little reproachfully.

Ayame smiles, warm and genuine, behind Yuki's back as he follows Mine into the kitchen. "I'm so grateful that I was given a second chance to be in his life," he says softly, strangely subdued. Machi doesn't think she's ever seen him so relaxed like this.

"You really love him," she observes, sitting down in an overly-decorated chair.

"Yes, of course," Ayame beams. "More than anything else."

And suddenly she can't bear to look at him anymore, so her eyes fall to her hands. That pure, honest, confusing affection--it's too much, too powerful. She feels guilty, or maybe cruel; she's been offered something precious, a gift of love, but she has nowhere to set it down in the jumbled mess of her mind, nothing to give in return. It's suffocating. (Yuki knows this feeling too; she longs for him to return to her side, her sole true ally in this world where all she can do is take.) She picks at her cuticles.

"Your situation with your brother is... similar to mine and Yuki's, isn't it?"

Machi nods. She supposes so, though it sounds so simple put like that.

Ayame takes a deep breath. "You'll have to pardon me, because it's possible that I'm putting my nose where it's not wanted when I say this, but, well. I have a very difficult time seeing things from a perspective other than my own. Yuki and I have talked things over, here and there, but it's still hard for me to understand what kinds of things go on in heads like his, and yours. I understand the two of you have found yourselves to be very similar, in a way. But if your brother, black-kun, is anything at all like me--and I believe he is, from what I've heard from you and Yuki and from what I've seen of him myself--then I want you to know that he loves you unconditionally, and that he is trying his best to make up for past wrongs. He's probably not the best at it, and might not always communicate these feelings very well, but what he wants more than anything else is your happiness. He's not asking for anything in return. But, of course, I've heard from Yuki all about how it feels to only take from others; it's not something I understand very well, but you're probably looking for a way to repay him, right?"

Machi chances looking up, and Ayame's eyes instantly meet hers. "That would be a start, I think," she jokes, trying to laugh it off a little. She feels naked, borne bare by Ayame's cold eyes and pervasive words.

"Well," Ayame smiles, and his eyes warm slightly, "I can't speak for your brother, but I wouldn't be surprised if a simple, honest 'thank you' from you is all it would take to give him immeasurable joy."

"Dinner's ready!" Mine calls, poking her head out of the kitchen.

"Have you been bothering Machi, nii-san?" Yuki drawls from beside her, frowning in Ayame's direction.

Ayame beams. "Of course not! Ah, but now that you mention it--Machi-chan, since we're here together, could I trouble you to help me to the dining room? I just need a helping arm, my ankle can't take much weight right now--"

"Nii-san! Don't impose on her like that, I can--"

Machi rolls her eyes, gets up, and lifts Ayame off the couch, one arm under his knees and the other behind his shoulders. "Which way is the dining room again?"

Mine grins at her. "This way!"

Along the way, Machi leans close to a startled and suddenly very quiet Ayame's ear and murmurs, "Thank you for the advice, Ayame-san." (He looks pleased.)

  
  
  


"Machi, I swear to God, this class is gonna kill me," Kakeru says instead of a greeting. He brought coffee, so Machi smiles at him briefly before looking back down at her own notes.

"You only have a month left. Can't be too bad," she reasons as he pulls up a chair across from her.

"Mm. I  _ knew _ I shouldn't have gone to college in the first place, I really don't need this crap..."

Machi swats him with a pencil. "Quit complaining. You're almost out of here, let me study."

"Boooooring," Kakeru complains, pillowing his head on his arms on the table (crumpling the edge of her papers. Bastard.) "Where's Yun today? Another interview?"

Machi glances at the date on her computer and shakes her head. "No, I think he's just studying, like you should be, his next interview isn't until the eighth... huh."

"Hmm?"

"It's the fourth tomorrow," Machi blinks, triple-checking the date glowing inoffensively up at her from the corner of her screen. "Isn't that Eiji's birthday?"

Kakeru frowns. "Who?"

"Our little brother."

Kakeru blinks. "Oh. Is it? How old is he?"

Machi does some quick mental math. "Seven? I think?"

"Shit," Kakeru breathes, looking a little lost. "It's been that long?"

"I wonder if they threw him a birthday party." When Machi turned seven, she remembers, there had been a party; just not one that was very fun for seven year olds. No one her age had showed up other than Kakeru, who had been dragged along by his mother in her campaign to win the Kuragi inheritance. There had been a cake, but Machi hadn't gotten to try it before Kakeru had stolen a piece before dinner, deemed it terrible, and thrown the whole thing to the floor. She giggles.

Kakeru's snickering too. "Probably one with terrible cake, right?" he laughs, and Machi rolls her eyes.

"I never even got to  _ try _ that cake, you know."

"Good. Shit was disgusting. I saved you from having to taste it."

"It was  _ my _ birthday!"

"Yeah, that was my gift to you! Happy birthday!" Machi throws an eraser at him, and he laughs.  _ "Fuck. _ I can't believe I didn't remember his name. Eiji. Second child?"

Machi grins. "You wanna take bets on which one of us they're pretending doesn't exist?"

"It's gotta be me, right? Your mom's happy to pretend I never existed, I'm sure."

"You forget they think I tried to kill him."

"Yeah, but that was after they named him."

"True." There's a pause. Kakeru drums his fingers on the desk, Machi stares blankly at her notes.

"Hey," Kakeru says suddenly. "Do you wanna go crash the party tomorrow? See how Eiji's doing?"

Machi fights a smile. "Mother would be furious."

He snorts. "So what?"

"Can't think of a better reason to go."

He grins widely. "Fuck yeah. We should bring a cake! A good one, but we can only let Eiji eat it with us. God, Dad's gonna be pissed too..." He chatters on about plans, animated. and Machi smiles.

"You really are a good brother, Kakeru-nii," she says, kicking him lightly under the table.

He stares at her, his mouth hanging open. "Aw, shucks," he says, burying his face in his hands. "I love you too, Machi."

Machi hums, and looks back down at her notes.

  
  
  


_ fin _

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_ Epilogue: _

  
  
  


Mom nudges Kakeru in the back, forcefully. "Why don't you go say hello to your father? It's been a while since he's seen you, go on."

Kakeru rolls his eyes. "Whatever." He does greet the old man, however, because that's what he's supposed to do. Listen to Mom and follow the rules. "Sup, Pops?"

"Kakeru," he says, smiling warmly. "How have you been? You started middle school recently, right?"

Kakeru shrugs. "Sure."

The old man laughs. "I see you've entered your bratty teenage years. I'm sure attending a stuffy adult party like this isn't exactly... how do the kids say it... your  _ style, _ is it?"

Kakeru stays silent; it's absolutely not his style (he's almost thirteen already, he's not a kid, Mom can't just dress him up like a doll to show off at parties anymore) but complaining about anything at these parties is Not Allowed. Mom made that  _ very _ clear.

Dad ruffles his hair roughly. "Sullen little brat. Why don't you go play in the snow? I think Machi went out there earlier, and I'd love it if you two would get along. This whole inheritance issue... well. It shouldn't be  _ your _ business; let your mothers fight it out on their own, right?"

Kakeru shrugs. "Sure, Dad. Can I go?"

"Yes, go." Kakeru takes the opportunity to run while he has it, heading for a door outside.  _ Let them fight it out on their own? As if, _ he thinks bitterly.

Machi is outside; he sees her through a window, and something makes him pause. She's walking in circles through the snow, almost robotically, her usual blank expression still held firm on her face. She's as dolled up as he is (him in a suit, her in a skirt and sweater).  _ What does  _ she _ think of all this? _ he suddenly finds himself wondering.  _ Is she angry? Sad? Content? Does she feel anything at all? _

She doesn't have a coat on.

"Kakeru! There you are, you little brat--come on, you need to make an appearance at this party!" Mom is back, yanking on his arm.

"Wha-- _ she _ doesn't have to!"

"And that's exactly why you need to be here, to one-up her! Come on, let's go!"

"Dad said--ouch! Don't grab my  _ ear!  _ At least let me grab her a coat! It's freezing out there--"

"She'll manage! Now  _ shush, _ we're heading back--"

  
"She just looks so  _ cold!" _

**Author's Note:**

> Toragahitowokamoutosurutokinounarigoe is the longest Japanese word that can be represented by one kanji, which means "the growl a tiger makes when it is about to bite someone," as far as I can tell. I don't know if Japanese kids actually try to memorize it for fun, but it made me giggle!
> 
> Eiji is a name that can mean various things, including great, prosperity, peace, etc.; when written with the characters for "great" and "second," it is often used as a name for a second-born child. Eiji is also the name given to Kakeru and Machi's father in a fabulous fic by my good friend Abby called Garden for the Ruined (https://archiveofourown.org/works/22167733/chapters/52919368)! I thought it was fitting lmao.
> 
> If you liked the fic, please leave comments and kudos! They sustain me... I love you all!!! <3


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